Abstract
<jats:p xml:lang="en">The climate crisis is a multidimensional issue with environmental, social, and institutional impacts, requiring governance-based and systematic approaches across all sectors, including higher education. The multifaceted effects of the climate crisis necessitate that universities make an effective contribution to achieving sustainability and institutional resilience goals. However, the integration of climate change into current quality management systems remains insufficient. This study presents an analytical examination of the integration of the ISO 9001:2015/Amd 1:2024 standard—which obliges organizations to assess the impacts of their activities on climate change—into quality management systems within higher education. Through the mapping of standard clauses with higher education processes and the assessment of relevant literature, a process-oriented and education-based implementation framework is proposed for universities. The examination reveals that climate change components should be integrated into quality policies, stakeholder engagement, risk–opportunity analysis, monitoring of learning outcomes, and continuous improvement processes. This integration has the potential to strengthen institutional adaptability, sustainability governance, and the professional development of academic staff. The updated provisions of the standard offer a practical and governance-oriented pathway to enhance environmental accountability, improve energy efficiency, and reinforce education planning with a high capacity for adapting to climate impacts in universities. Thus, quality management systems evolve from being merely administrative tools into strategic mechanisms that support climate-oriented institutional transformation. This study contributes to academic discussions on aligning quality assurance systems with climate governance and provides strategic recommendations for policymakers and higher education leaders to institutionalize climate-responsive management practices.</jats:p>